Mou slams Vini and ref, Prestianni claims: "I was never racist"
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 18.02.26. | 12:54
Following Madrid’s reactions to last night’s incident, those from Benfica quickly followed, as Jose Mourinho spoke without holding back
The chaos that started on the pitch of Estadio da Luz last night quickly spread beyond it, as neither Real Madrid nor Benfica are holding back in commenting on the alleged racist incident between Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni.
And while Los Blancos harshly condemned the Argentinian, firmly standing by Vini's side, the response from the Eagles' ranks came shortly from furious Jose Mourinho. And everyone knows for a fact that when the Special One is angry, he speaks without holding back.
First, he slammed the Brazilian for his provocative celebration.
"Vini should've gone and celebrated with his teammates, not in the faces of 60,000 people. He's an incredible player, I love him. But if you score like that, you should go and celebrate with your teammates."
Benfica coach Jose Mourinho accused Vinicius Junior of inciting an incident that ended with the Real Madrid forward alleging racist abuse during the two sides’ Champions League play-off game on Tuesday night.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) February 18, 2026
Mourinho also said he had reminded Vinicius Jr that “the biggest… pic.twitter.com/XQZrS6LZIl
“Vini Jr’s goal should be the main thing about the game. But when you score a goal like that… you should celebrate in a respectful way. But I will be independent; I will not say I believe Prestianni or Vini, I was no there. Prestianni denies it, but I will not pick a side,"
"The biggest legend in this club is Eusebio, this club is not racist. I've spoken to both of them; Vinícius told me one thing, and Prestianni said another."
"I don't want to be biased toward them, but I also can't be biased toward the other side and just believe only Vinícius," the Portuguese said via Tribuna.com.
However, that wasn't the end of Mourinho's rant, as he had another target - the referee Francois Letexier, who sent him off in the 85th minute and deprived him of a chance to lead Benfica at Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday.
"I got a red card because I said something very obvious. The referee had a note that said: 'Tchouameni, Carreras, and Huijsen must not receive a yellow card.' He didn't want to give a card to Carreras and Tchouameni. I just told the referee that. We know how this works," Jose bluntly revealed via Yahoo Sports.
Finally, the alleged culprit, Prestianni, spoke out in an Instagram post, claiming he wasn't a racist and calling everything a misunderstanding.
🗣️🇦🇷 Gianluca Prestianni on Instagram about the Vini Jr incident:
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) February 18, 2026
"I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he believes he heard."
"I have never been racist toward anyone, and I regret the… pic.twitter.com/rY2MGadhhn
"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard."
"I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players," the Argentinian wrote as reported by Sky Sports.
So, what now, after all these reactions? Well, we're waiting for more. Don't doubt it - they will come.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS
First leg
Tuesday
Galatasaray - Juventus 5-2 (1-2)
/Sara 15, Lang 49, 75, Sanchez 60, Boey 86 - Koopmeiners 16, 32/
Benfica - Real Madrid 0-1 (0-0)
/Vinicius 50/
Dortmund - Atalanta 2-0 (2-0)
/Guirassy 3, Beier 42/
Monaco - PSG 2-3 (2-2)
/Balogun 1, 18 - Doue 29, 67, Hakimi 41/
Wednesday
20.45: (7.75) Qarabag (4.50) Newcastle (1.42)
23.00: (5.00) Bodo (3.90) Inter (1.68)
23.00: (3.85) Club Brugge (3.90) Atl.Madrid (1.95)
23.00: (2.50) Olympiakos (3.35) Leverkusen (2.85)
***odds are subject to change***